﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿This Sunday I finally got my peas and beans sown. I got down to the plot early and managed to get both rows sown and given a light sprinkling of paraffin to keep the mice away.I moved on to open up the most mature compost bin ready to start transferring it to the middle and final bin. Then I decided to take a break and have my customary morning coffee and cake at the cafe. As usual it was a very cheery crowd and it was nearly an hour before I got back to the plot to dig out and transfer about a third of the compost over to the new bin. It is a bit wet and soggy so really needs stirring up and aerating.As always there were raspberries to pick and I dug a couple of leeks to take home. I need to leave the rest to fatten up before I eat them all. The 3 rows should last me through to next April, if the pests and diseases don't get them first!

At Home I am trying to sort out what seeds I need for next year. As always I have collected loads of packets from Magazines, cheap seeds from the shops and garden centre's autumn clearances as well as those I bought on a whim! Many of the packets are old so I mark each packet with the last year I can use them using a chart of how long each type of seed lasts. As long as I keep them dry and not too hot or cold (I use the spare room at home) I can use them. I have found several websites with 'seed viability' charts and use them as a guide, remembering that many are for the USA. You can check them out using these web pages.

You need to remember that these figures apply only if the seed has been kept in the a pristine state. I assume that once opened the packet has a very short shelf life, especially if it was in a foil pack inside the packet.

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Hi! As "Webmaster" for this site I feel a bit of a fraud. I am neither an expert at IT nor at growing vegetables. I do enjoy playing at both, however.I have a 10 rod plot in the middle of the site, having transferred in 2012 from a 5 rod plot I had been cultivating for about 5 years. I needed to give myself space to grow a wider range of crops.I will be recording my thoughts and activities on the allotment as well as sharing any knowledge and information I gain in my 'travels'.I constantly seek hints and advice from my neighbouring, and usually more knowledgeable, plot holders and will pass on anything I think is of general use via this blog.